A large section of eavestrough on the Railway Exchange Hotel crashed to the ground Monday morning, raising questions about the safety of the building located adjacent to the Georgetown GO Station.

Built in the 1850s, the 37 King St. property is said to be the last of its kind in North America and Heritage Halton Hills has been investigating ways to preserve the frame stagecoach-style hotel.

About 20 feet of eavestrough at the front of the hotel came down Monday, just missing several cars parked in the GO Station lot. Officials from the Town of Halton Hills, the Halton Hills Fire Department and an officer from the Halton Regional Police were on the scene to investigate the damage.

The building is owned by heirs of the Wright/Hillock family, who owned and operated the hotel for about a century.

Tony Iavarone, manager of corporate communications for the Town, said Monday afternoon that a decision on the fate of the hotel is still being discussed. In April, the building's owners filed for a demolition permit, pre-empting a bid by Town Council to list the property on the Heritage Roster.

"Our role right now is to ensure public safety and that no people are hurt or property is damaged," said Iavrone.

"We're working with the owners to come to a solution, but at this point it's in limbo."

A man is said to still reside in the building, although Town officials couldn't confirm that to be true.